Audiences were astounded today to hear an NFL ref speaking German on the field.
NFL fans and commentators alike were flummoxed today to hear a referee call out a penalty in perfect German.
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During today’s match-up between the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, referee Shawn Hochuli unexpectedly called out a penalty in German, saying « Fehlstart angriff, fünf yards strafe. »
That translates to « False start offense, five-yard penalty. » Interestingly, Hochuli then switched back to English, continuing « It’s by the center, it’s third down. » It is unclear why the ref called the penalty in half-and-half languages, but it had a pretty immediate effect on commentators.
As one can hear in the official NFL clip above, sportscaster Rich Eisen is audibly surprised and lets out an « OH! » while another voice says « Look at Shawn Hochuli, hooked on phonics.
